Yellow Umbrellas and Cellphones
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: Set in the year 2030. The mother tells the Mosby children the story of how she found Ted's cellphone the same night he found her yellow umbrella on St. Patrick's day back in 2007.
1. St Patrick's Day, 2007

Kids, I'm going to tell you a story. Don't worry; I'll make it brief. It won't take eight years or anything.

St. Patrick's Day, 2007; a few friends had dragged me to this wild party at some club with a name I can't remember. What I do remember is the noise, the obnoxious drunk guys, and that it was the night I lost my favorite umbrella.

To put things plainly, it was a rotten evening. I'd just gotten dumped a few days prior by some jerk I met at an art convention, and the last thing I'd wanted to be doing was partying. But, despite my reluctance, I let the girls drag me out.

It's ironic now, looking back on that night. I ended up sitting alone for the majority of the time I was there, fending off drunken advances and making sure the girls didn't go home with any major assholes. Needless to say, I felt out of place. Even when I wasn't post-dumped me, big parties were never my thing. Not even in college. It had to be around midnight when the place finally started to clear out, and I found myself alone. I'd hailed cabs for all of my friends to get them home safely, but in the process there wasn't one left for me to take. So, I'd wandered back inside and sat down on the garbage covered couch to wait a while, hoping a few more would pass by later.

When I sat down, I instantly leapt back up; I'd sat right on a cellphone. Someone must have lost it. It was a shame, too; it looked new; nice; expensive.

Being as curious as I was, I'd convinced myself that the right thing to do would be to look through it a bit and see if I could figure out who the owner was.

He didn't have many contacts; there was a list of people from work, and then a few extra numbers on speed dial; Marshall and Lily Erikson, Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky.

Being a new phone, there weren't many personalized features or photographs, so there was no way for me to know who the owner was. I suppose I could have called one of the contacts and told them I found the phone, but what would I say? I was awkward enough as it is without trying to explain that I'd found this person's phone when I sat on the couch of an abandoned nightclub after my friends all went home. No, I couldn't do that. So I did what any sensible awkward girl would do;

I took the phone home with me. I was so wrapped up in figuring out who it belonged to before making any calls that I entirely forget to grab my umbrella on the way out, and didn't realize it until the next day. But, when I went back to get it, it was gone.

Years later, I found out the phone belonged to your father. To this day, no conversation between us has been quite as awkward as the time he found the phone he lost six years before we started dating tucked away in my underwear drawer.


	2. The One

_**AN:**_ _Because a few people messaged me requesting the actual scene where Ted finds his phone in the mother's underwear drawer, I decided to write it. It turned out far longer than I anticipated, and almost made me cry. So... yeah. Here you go!_

She was smart. She was funny. She was kind-hearted, cultured, loved kids and was everything Ted had ever dreamed of. After all the years of fighting for it and losing every battle, Ted Mosby had finally won. He'd finally done it; he'd met the infamous One.

At the moment, she was soundly asleep with her head nuzzled into the soft pillow beneath it, one arm tucked underneath for extra support. Ted had memorized this stance; for the past few hours, he'd just reveled in watching her sleep in the partial light from the sunrise streaming through the window. She was completely beautiful in his eyes, even if she wouldn't be the ideal image of sex appeal to some other men. No, she wasn't sexy in that obvious, Jennifer Lopez kind of way; she was sexy in that way that she seemed so innocent that you just knew she was a vixen between the sheets (and damn, had he ever been right). All of that aside, her true beauty was in the little things about her.

Her mouth, maybe too small to some people, was the perfect size in Ted's opinion. It enabled her to have that pretty, soft little smile that he liked to hope only he had the privilege of truly receiving; that smile that made her warm brown eyes twinkle with an emotion Ted could feel building within his own heart more and more each second he spent with her. Her cheeks, which seemed to have a permanent gentle pink blush, were naturally soft, and it felt heavenly to take both of them in his hands and pull her lips to his for a kiss which blew his mind every time.

Most guys liked blondes, but Ted had been with his fair share of those, and he was done with that chapter in his life. He loved the way her brown curls always fell in a way that framed her face, even while she was asleep. It gave her that aura of innocence, even though what they'd done just a few hours ago definitely proved otherwise.

That brought him to the topic of her body. Her soft, curvy, delicate, warm body… It was clear from the start that she was self-conscious about the way she looked naked; probably due to something that ass, Louis, had said. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way she looked; she was glorious, with curves in just the right places, plump enough that she looked healthy, but not overly so like she seemed to be convinced she was. It killed Ted that she didn't think she was beautiful, and he'd made it his mission to make her see what he saw, be it by tenderly touching her everywhere when they were in bed, or by adopting the phrase "hey, beautiful," as his constant greeting for her, even if they'd only been apart for mere moments. She always protested with that last one, but he felt that she was beginning to come around. She didn't shy away at his compliments as much anymore; maybe she was beginning to trust him enough to believe them.

She was perfect; she was The One. As many times as Ted may have said so in the past, he felt certain of it now. So certain that he mentally cursed Past Ted for being so stupid as to think girls like Stella and Victoria could possibly be _The One_. He realized now that The One couldn't be just any girl; she had to be the girl that made you rethink your entire life. She had to be the girl that you never saw coming, which took you entirely by surprise and fell just as fast and as hard as you did. She was the girl who shared your interests, but not so much that she was boring, and who had quirky little habits that you found yourself smiling instead of cringing at. She made you smile. She made you laugh. She made your heart beat faster with the smallest touch or the softest whisper of your name. She wasn't like the other millions of girls, or "fish in the sea" as your friends liked to put it, she was… _the one_. The only one for you; the only woman you would ever, with all of your heart, feel certain that you would love until the end of your days.

Ted Mosby had found that girl, and he was completely and blissfully in love with her.

Smiling a bit as he ran through his daily checklist, that was still growing, of reasons why he loved this girl, Ted tenderly caressed her arm. She shivered a bit at his touch, finally waking, and she smiled when her eyes met his.

"Hi…"

"Hey, beautiful," he said with a soft smile in response, pressing a kiss to her lips which she smiled into.

"What was that for?" she asked when he pulled back, and he shrugged, pressing another kiss to her lips, speaking against them.

"I'm just saying good morning…"

She laughed a bit at that, returning his "good morning" kiss deeply, only pulling away when she shivered again. The seasons were changing, and the air in the room was chilly because of it. Pair that with an entirely bare body only covered by a few sheets and blankets, and you had a very cold future Mrs. Mosby.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked him with a small smile, and he nodded without having to think about it. He'd do anything for her.

"Name it."

"Can you get me my blue silk nightgown and robe set from the dresser? I'm freezing…"

Nodding, Ted kissed the top of her head, shifting enough to grab his pants from last night off of the floor by the bed, tugging them on and getting to his feet. He heard her roll over onto his side of the bed once he was up, and he grinned to himself, knowing she liked how warm his body made it. She had a habit of staying in bed for a solid half-hour or longer after he got up, just so she could snuggle in the heat and scent he had left behind.

Unsure of what drawer said nightgown and robe were in, Ted opted to just check them all, starting with the top. It was full of lacy and silky garments and, to his secret stereotypical male pleasure, bras and panties. Sifting through it, he figured it was possible that a silky nightgown could be found in here. However, when he did find something, it wasn't sleepwear.

It was a phone. A rather out-of-date one, for late 2013, and Ted furrowed his brow. He knew this phone from somewhere…

Glancing over at the bed, he found her back to him, to which he took as the coast being clear. Turning it on, Ted was surprised to find it still worked, blinking when he saw the background image; the Empire State Building? No one was that dorky in this day and age; well, except for him.

_Except for him_.

His eyes widening, Ted found himself selecting the contacts on the phone, and he blanched-

_726-5546: Marshall Erikson_

_ 726-4589: Lily Erikson_

_ 650-2239: Robin Scherbatsky_

_ 210-4832: Barney Stinson_

-along with various other numbers he was familiar with from back in 2007, when he had lost this very phone at that party Barney dragged him to.

"Uh… I have a question," Ted stated, turning around to watch her roll over, her eyes widening when she saw the phone in his hand.

"Oh God. Oh, _my God_…"

"I lost this six years ago," he claimed, frowning a bit, "How have you had my phone for six years and we never once crossed paths until now? Were you being honest about not knowing who I was when we met?"

She seemed to be panicking, her eyes wide and fearfully tearful.

"Ted, no. No, no, no; it isn't like that. I would never lie to you. I completely forgot I had that… I never even clued in what with your friends' names, and… oh, God, you think I'm a freak, don't you? Some crazy stalker freak?"

"No," he stated quickly, not wanting to see her cry. "I just want to know why you have it."

Her hands quivering with anxiety, which he had learned a few weeks ago that she suffered from, she wiped her eyes. "Back in 2007, I got dragged to this party… I got stranded there after the place emptied out, and I went to sit down and sat on the phone- _your_ phone… I was too scared to call any of the people in the- _your_… contacts, because what would I say? I'm awful talking to new people in person, let alone over the phone… over someone else's phone, for crying out loud."

His expression softening even more at the way she was shaking, Ted sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. But, even as she let him pull her close, she wasn't finished speaking.

"Then Louis happened. I couldn't let him find the phone… what would I say to that? What if he found it and asked why I had a phone full of contacts I'd never met, nor spoken to? It would have ruined everything… He'd have thought I was nuts, just like you probably do, but he ended up thinking I was nuts anyway, and I… I…!"

"Hey, hey… Shh… Slow down, okay? I don't think you're nuts…"

She was gasping for breath as she clung to him, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, and Ted felt like an idiot for causing this attack. He'd known she'd have an explanation; he should have asked her in a more delicate manner.

"How could you not…?" she choked out, and he stroked her hair, trying to help her calm down.

"I stole your umbrella that night; you're perfectly entitled to have taken my phone."

"I didn't… I wouldn't… I was going to… give it back… I swear…!"

Shaking his head, he scattered kisses over her now slightly blotchy face, pressing one gently to her lips before speaking in a soft tone. "Relax, beautiful, okay? It doesn't matter. I'd be an idiot if I turned away the perfect girl because she kept an old phone I lost in her underwear drawer." Swiftly changing the topic, Ted grinned faintly, hoping it would distract her. "Speaking of said drawer, I never took you for a black lace kind of girl…"

He could feel her blushing from where she had her face hidden against his chest, her warm cheeks making his skin tingle. "I can be sexy when I wanna be…"

"Oh, I imagine you can," he agreed with a fond smile, rubbing her back as she slowly caught her breath and calmed down in his arms. "You know, you've actually provided me with a unique opportunity… Now I can prank call everyone I know from that phone and none of them will recognize the number anymore."

A small, weak laugh escaped her at that, and she smiled faintly up at him. "Can I help…?"

"Well, what's a trickster without a good partner?" Ted asked in a corny British accent, getting a soft, genuine laugh out of her, and he smiled.

"Point proven, old chap," she agreed, mimicking his accent a bit more successfully, and he smiled softly, slowly leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"I love you…" he found himself mumbling against them, finally saying the words aloud, and she trembled again, but this time from emotion. A final tear escaping her eye, she whispered his words right back at him, and Ted smiled, kissing her more solidly for a moment before pulling back.

"Screw silky pajamas," he remarked, leaning over the bed and grabbing his buttondown, handing it to her. "You look better in my clothes, anyway."

At that, she smiled a smile so happy, so content, that it melted Ted's heart as she wiggled into his shirt, fiddling with the buttons. He felt confident that she was smiling that way because she finally accepted that she didn't need to be skimpy for him to find her attractive. He found her attractive in every possible attire (or lack of), and a little bit of silk over 100% cotton wouldn't make the slightest difference to him. Not when he wanted her all the time. Not when he loved her.

He did; he loved her. He loved her more than he thought he could ever love a person, even back when he started his search for the perfect girl. She was the perfect girl, but not because of how she looked or what she liked or if she was cool with Star Wars themed sex.

She was the perfect girl because she loved him just as intensely as he loved her, and that's all he could ever ask for. Personally, he couldn't wait until they were old and grey and could sit on that front porch, gloating to Marshall and Lily and Robin and Barney that they weren't the only ones who found true love.

It took a hell of a long time, but he finally found her; Ted Mosby found The One.


End file.
